This invention relates to a consolidated universal platform for distribution of communication services via an In-Premises Communication Node (ICN). It also concerns a premises located consolidated universal platform containing one or more ICN devices and connecting to a Wide Area Network via a Premises Adaptive Gateway (PAG). It is specifically concerned with integrating hardware and functions and leveraging common elements and functions across multiple physical media and across MAC and Network functions. This integration minimizes the difficulties of using multiple media to distribute voice, data and video signals in the home. It is also concerned with the ability to use common elements across MAC and Network functions for a simplified implementation of in premise networks such as Internet Protocol.
The variety of services provided by telecommunication networks is increasing as is the methods of delivery of these services. The two are interrelated and frequently the method of delivery is important to the desirability, quality or efficiency of the service. For example, wireless or cordless may be preferable to phone wire or the in house electrical wiring preferred for the distribution of telephone services within customer premises. Each of these alternatives is preferable in certain situations and not so preferable in others.
It is desirable to have all of these alternative methods of delivery available to and within the customer premises to provide the highest quality and greatest flexibility in any selected service, or to permit achievement of a desired economy. Such provision of alternatives of network and premise links is expensive when multiple methods were used since the various alternatives substantially operate traditionally in exclusion with one another, even though their individual functions often overlap. This overlap occurs at multiple layers: physical, MAC, and network.
At the physical level, prior state of the art led to technology that was optimized for a specific media. Hence each service provided to the customer premises required different media interface equipment dedicated to that particular media. This resulted in multiple systems and multiple pieces of specialized equipment to provide the multiple services. For service providers, this requires inventory being dedicated to each individual media.
At the MAC and network layers, different implementations were used which did not foster a sharing of common functional modules. Similarly, prior art used a MAC and Network layer that was optimized for a single transport media. This did not foster functional module sharing so that each physical layer implementation had its own individual MAC, and often its own network layer.
A customer premise is provided with a variety of services and modes of communication links/channels or circuits so that pluralities of these are available for use. For example, given a variety of telecommunications services and a variety of customers provided equipment, each customer premises has used different distribution media specific to an application. This would include coaxial cable for television signal distribution, telephony wire for voice and fax distribution, wireless/cordless for voice and low speed data distribution, power wires for electrical energy distribution, and structured wire for data distribution. This invention unifies these previously disparate and independent distribution media into a coherent local area network capable of supporting voice, data, and video applications with a plurality of physical connections to consumer devices.
A new communication distribution platform for a customer premise, embodying the principles of the invention, creates a new paradigm where components from the physical layer are shared, components from the MAC layer are shared, and a common network layer is used. A single modulation unified system and shared MAC, in accord with the invention, is used across multiple media. Varied implementations of the invention may choose to share only physical layer components, or MAC layer components, or both. A preferred implementation may be the use of a common physical layer modulation combined with a MAC layer with many common functions in support of delivery of IP based services within the premises. Compared to the prior state of the art, this invention optimizes customer experience, flexibility in use, provides simpler maintenance, and simpler reduced inventory requirements and operations support for service suppliers. This invention can be used to support either a circuit switched environment or packet switched environment.
Prior art distribution systems required optimization of the physical layer through a modulation scheme optimized for a specific media. Similarly, each MAC layer was developed for a specific media as well. This present invention is also concerned with the sharing of common functions within a MAC for multiple media, and/or the sharing of common functions within a Physical Layer. This sharing is utilized to simplify the component distribution and service distribution and its maintenance. This leads to an optimized customer and supplier experiencexe2x80x94especially for the preferred implementation of Internet Protocol within the premises across multiple media.
At the physical layer, this invention combines distinct physical interfaces into a single function group. This allows unification of many MAC and all network layer functions. It efficiently combines common functions across disparate media and couples these functions to the various communication links/channels or circuits. In particular a plurality of in premise media connected to various in premise communication devices is coupled to a plurality of access media, which is connected to a wide area network (WAN). It also is possible, in accord with the invention, to create a single MAC without physical layer integration as well, so that common functions can be shared. It is possible to create a MAC with a physical media lower layer that shares common upper layer functions. Unification of upper layer MAC functions enables a single network layer.
The logical LAN, created according to the invention, now needs to be connected to a Wide Area Network capable of supporting the combined bandwidth demands of these applications. This does not preclude the use of multiple narrow band network connections to meet the WAN bandwidth demands. Therefore, this can be supported with a plurality of narrow band networks for connection to the premises. An In-Premises Communications Node (ICN) provides connection to the LAN. Connection to the WAN is provided by a Premises Adaptive Gateway (PAG) in combination with an ICN.
A particular In-premises Communication Node (ICN) embodiment includes a media access control (MAC) providing media specific controls partitioned into common functions and media specific functions and controls. Similarly, the physical layer combines common functions such as synchronization, signaling and/or modulation, suitable for varied in-premise distribution media and media specific access for various access media such as power lines, phone lines, and wireless/cordless links through separate functional modules. Also, the physical layer provides hardware connections and media specific front-end hardware interfaces, individually or in combinations. These are provided for the physical link connections to the distribution media, such as power line, phone wire, coaxial cable, structure wire, and RF connections. Other implementations may include fiber and free space infrared media.
A preferred embodiment of this unified physical layer modulation uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for the shared modulation function in the physical layer. OFDM is well known to those skilled in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,445 covering a pioneering form of OFDM was issued Jan. 6, 1970 for example. OFDM spaces multiple functions in the physical carriers close together (i.e., narrow guard bands) so that the side bands overlap but utilize carrier waves so that adjacent channels are orthogonal and do not interfere with one another. Other multiplexing embodiments however are also advantageous for the unified physical layer. Other methods include using Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum, Discrete Multi-Tone, and Carrierless Amplitude Phase (CAP) modulation. These schemes of modulation are well known to those skilled in the art and their particular embodiments need not be discussed in detail herein.
The ICN connects to the WAN through a Premises Adaptive Gateway (PAG) which provides a common network layer. In the MAC layer, common shared functions and media specific controls are performed. At the physical layer common shared functions such as modulation, signaling, synchronization and media independent functions can be combined and connected to the WAN through media dependent front-end interfaces such as twisted pair, coaxial cable, fiber cable, and wireless modules. This technology is appropriate for and can interface with circuit switched networks, packet switched networks and cell switched networks. For example, one embodiment of this would construct the PAG as a protocol conversion and mapping (inter-working) via a MAC and physical layer interface specific to a single WAN technology, such as CATV coaxial cable.
A network layer is provided which is common both the PAG and the ICN. This network layer unifies the in premise distribution and the WAN adaptive network connection. This is not the preferred near term embodiment but may be the long-term embodiment as WAN technologies continue to develop and mature.
While specific media details are described herein, it is to be understood that these are only illustrative and that the invention is applicable to other media arrangements, both in the WAN and in the premises LAN.
Specific advantages of this invention are many. Less product inventory as a supplier is needed because only one product or element is needed to serve many functions. This distribution platform delivers an in-premise multi-media LAN that interfaces to telephony products including cordless phones, personal computers, computer peripherals such as printers, and audio/visual products such as televisions. This product could also interface with intelligent home devices for control in the future.
The use of common implementations of the physical modulation, MAC, and network layers allow for a single logical unit which is supportable with a single set of operations and telemetry control functions and interfaces. (This applies even if the implementation occurs at only the physical layer, or the MAC layer, or in combination of the physical layer and MAC layer.) Unification also provides for economies of scale for unit and chip production. For example, a single ICN device with couplers to power wire and telephone wire would share most of the physical layer and all the MAC and network layer components including media specific inventory.